Whenever my husband, the one I call Marlboro Man, imagines chocolate pie—and he imagines it frequently, because it's one of his favorite chocolate desserts—he doesn't think of French silk pie or chocolate chiffon pie or chocolate chess pie or chocolate meringue pie orany other variation. He thinks of this one. This is just a good ol' basic, can't-go-wrong, everyone-loves-it, super-easy-to-make, been-around-forever pie recipe with a chocolate pudding filling, and my beloved could seriously eat a slice every day of his life and never get bored.
I could too, I might add.
And speaking of that: This pie is always one of those things that drives home to me the differences between Marlboro Man and me, and let me explain: In no universe would he ever, ever consider adorning his chocolate pie with anything. Not whipped cream, not meringue,not fruit, not nuts, not sauces… nothing. To him, that would mar the beautiful simplicity of this luscious dessert and he sees absolutely no logical reason for it.I, on the other hand, will keep adding stuff to the top of my chocolate pie until my fridge is empty, my pantry is cleanedout, and the cows come home.Differences make the world go 'round! Make this pie as a Valentine's Day dessert for your very on Marlboro Man or woman orbring it to your next church potluck or family gathering. The most important part about making chocolate pie is that you eat leftovers for breakfast the next day.Don't listen to that last part.
What ingredients are in chocolate pie?
The crust is just a basic pie crust. You can use your favorite homemade pie crust (I use the Perfect Pie Crust recipe sent to me by my friend, dear reader Sylvia), or, if you're in a pinch, a store-bought crust works just fine. if you really want to go wild, you can even use an Oreo or graham cracker crust. Yum!
The fillingis nothing more than chocolate pudding—areally good homemade chocolate pudding that'sfudgy, rich, andsilky smooth. It's made with sugar, a little cornstarch, whole milk, egg yolks, vanilla, butter, and the star of the show, bittersweet chocolate. You make the filling on your stovetop and pour itinto the baked (and cooled) pie crust. Then it goes into the fridge to set up.
Is bittersweet chocolate the same as semisweet?
They aren't the same, but you can use semisweet chocolate in this pie if that's what you have. Bittersweet chocolate has around 70% cacao and semisweet has about 60%. Semisweet chocolate will make for a slightly sweeter pie. I've made this pie with both and it works just fine. I like the deeper flavor of bittersweet chocolatewhich is why I use it most often.
What size pie plate do you use for chocolate pie?
The filling makes enough for a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Deep-dish pie plates areabout2 to 2 1/2 inches deep whereas regular 9-inch pie plates have a depth of1 1/2 inches. You can certainly use a regular ol' pie plate for this, but prepared to have some leftover filling. Just divide the filling into somelittle ramekins or bowls and refrigerate it.
How long is chocolate pie good for?
It'll stay good for about three days in the fridge, covered in plastic wrap.
How do you thicken chocolate pie filling?
I add in a little cornstarch to help thicken up the filling. The egg yolks help give it structure, too! When you're making the filling, though, don't stop cooking it after 6 to 8 minutes if it's not yet thick. Every stove is different! For some people and their stoves, it can take 20 minutes to thicken. Keep cooking it until the mixture is thick like pudding to avoid a soupy filling. You must also let it chillin the fridge for at least 4 hoursbefore slicing. It needs time to completely cool and set up.
What can you top chocolate pie with?
If you're like me and love toppings, whipped cream, fresh raspberries or strawberries, a drizzle of hot fudge sauce (or even caramel sauce),chopped pecans or walnuts would be divine! If you're like Ladd, nothing at all and that's okay, too.
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- Yields:
- 10 serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 4 hrs
- Cook Time:
- 10 mins
- Total Time:
- 4 hrs 10 mins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 c.
sugar
- 1/4 c.
cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp.
salt
- 3 c.
whole milk
- 4
egg yolks
- 6 1/2 oz.
bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 tsp.
vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp.
butter
- 1
pie crust, baked and cooled (or can use Oreo or graham cracker crust)
Whipped cream, to serve
Directions
- Step1In a medium saucepan, stir or whisk togetherthe sugar, cornstarch, and salt.Pour in themilk and egg yolks, whisking to combine.Stir over medium heat until the mixture just barely comes to a boil and becomes thick, about 6 to 8 minutes (maybe less, maybe more; just watch it). The second it starts to bubble and thicken (it should be thick like pudding), remove it from the heat. Add the chocolate, vanilla, and butter, and stir until everything is beautifully combined.
- Step2Pour the pudding into the pie crust (if there is extra, spoon it into small dishes) and place in the fridge, uncovered, to chill for 4 hours.
- Step3Cut itinto slices and serve with whipped cream!
Now, the first step to making this homemade pie is to put a storebought frozen pie crust into the oven. Ha. At least that’s what I did. I was out of my frozen crusts and I didn’t feel like making one on the spot, so I used a storebought frozen one.
I am not ashamed.
Now, if you really want to impress your friends, forget about the pie crust and come close to burning it, as I did above.
They'll be amazed at your talent!
All of that's about to be forgotten, though, when you make this luscious pie filling, which is nothing more than chocolate pudding. (So consider this a chocolate pudding recipe, too!) Start by putting sugar into a saucepan…
With some cornstarch…
As a thickener.
Add a little salt (about a fourth a teaspoon; don't be thrown off by the 1/2 teaspoon measure you see here, as I only added half. Don't be like me)…
Stir it together gently—I say gently, because if you stir it violently or vigorously, you will create a cloud of cornstarch in your kitchen! And who needs that?!
Now, pour in some whole milk. Normally, I'd say "or you can use 2% or skim milk" but in this case, I absolutely, positively insist that you use whole milk! You must! It makes the pie creamier and gives it the texture it needs. You can always use the skim milk on your Wheaties tomorrow!
Sorry for being bossy.
Separate four eggs…
Pour in the yolks…
Then, stir it together and start heating it up over medium heat, stirring very gently but constantly.
The bubbles will calm down and it will start to heat up and thicken. This will seem to take forever at first…
But then, before you know it, it starts to bubble and boil! Right after it starts to boil and thicken, you need to remove it from the heat.
Oh! I forgot to tell you that way earlier, I grabbed some bittersweet chocolate…
And chopped it really finely.
(Note on the chocolate: I have tried this pie with cocoa powder, with semi-sweet chocolate, with unsweetened chocolate… and I prefer bittersweet. You can play around with different types of chocolate to see what you like.)
It's important to have the chocolate all chopped and ready ahead of time, because the second you pull the filling/pudding off the heat, you'll want to throw it right in…
With some vanilla…
And stir it around to start melting the chocolate, which will happen pretty much instantly because of how hot and lovely it is.
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The final step, of course, is to add a little butter for silkiness, flavor, and richness…
And stir it until it melts. Again, this should only take about 4.2 seconds.
Pour it into the baked (and cooled!) pie shell…
Then smooth it out, lick whatever you use to smooth it, and pop the pie in the fridge (uncovered) for at least three to four hours. You want it to be totally cool and set!
This filling amount is enough for a deep-dish pie crust, so when I use a standard crust, I always have a little filling left over. So I just scoop it into little cups…
And stick those in the fridge. Ready-to-go pudding!
At long last! The pie is chilled and ready. And gorgeous. And seductive. And irresistible.
Just like Marlboro Man.
Heh heh.
(Sorry.)
Cut a nice, big wedge…
And, if you're serving it to my husband, just stick it on a plate.
Positively perfect pie!
If I'm eating it, though? Oh, how about some squirt whipped cream and a raspberry?
How about some chocolate syrup?
I actually forced myself to stop there, but I could have gone nuts (literally): Chopped pecans, chopped walnuts… and man, oh man, a drizzle of caramel sauce would be just decadent.
Make it today! It's the easiest pie ever! (Note that you could change it up and do an Oreo or graham cracker crust—totally delicious, too.)
Enjoy!